Best known for making psychological thriller films with supernatural plots, M Night Shyamalan has given us some bizarre and shocking films. Although he is often today thought of as the gimmick-obsessed, ‘”wist guy,” many of his movies will definitely go down in history for their thrilling appeal, with The Sixth Sense and its infamous Bruce-Willis-was-dead-all-along reveal being among the top of his most recognized works. Since receiving six Academy Award Nominations for The Sixth Sense in 1999, Shyamalan has continued to make similarly gripping and eerie films, again teaming up with Bruce Willis to make Unbreakable (2000), which he both wrote and directed. Other major Shyamalan films include Signs, The Village, The Happening, The Visit and Split. However, Shyamalan’s talent extends to TV as well with the Apple TV series, Servant.
Unlike his blockbuster films, Servant is an artfully shot and carefully written TV series that seems to show off all of Shyamalan’s genuine talent, without the unnecessary quick pay-off shock factor. The premise of the series, now on its third season on Apple TV, involves a young, wealthy married couple in Philadelphia who are living in mourning after a terrible tragedy. Living in an elegant, slightly gothic style townhouse, Dorothy and Sean Turner (Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell) are trying to piece their lives back together after the unspeakable loss of their newborn baby boy, “Jericho” – yes you read that name correctly – and as we quickly come to realize, all is not what it seems.
Immediately in the first episode, it is clear that this is not a twist-based Shyamalan classic, as we discover in just under 20 minutes that Jericho has been replaced by an animatronic doll after the death of the real Jericho caused his mother, Dorothy Turner, to have a psychotic episode a few months prior. Termed as “transitional object therapy,” the doll is supposed to be a temporary measure, but Dorothy comes to treat it as real so much so that she ends up hiring a nanny – the first step that invites supernatural forces beyond their control into the Turners’ home.
The first thing that is clear when watching Servant is how every frame is beautifully shot with cinematography that shows us every possible angle of the couple’s home, drawing us immediately into the world of the Turners. While Shyamalan’s other films are certainly more story-driven, Servant has a more artistic appeal to it as well, with the gothic style of the house reflecting the dark undertones of the whole story. Interestingly, the series is mostly made up of a slow build of suspense; stretches of screen time that create anxiety in viewers without giving too much away too soon, while still giving fans that classic element of horror and creepiness that trademark Shyamalan’s films.
An early moment of Shyamalan-style horror in the series is when Sean grabs Jericho out of his crib, knocking his head against the wall carelessly as he walks over to a chair – all before we realize the Jericho he is holding is just a doll. Later on, we see the uncle of the new nanny, Leanne (Nell Tiger Free), come to visit her at the house, where straightaway, his on-screen appearance arouses an unmistakable sense of disgust in viewers as we watch on to see what this old man, unwashed and in tattered clothing, has planned – apart from sitting at the dinner table ripping apart a piece of chicken with his bare hands like a wild animal.
Another unmistakable source of horror is watching Sean, being afflicted by giant splinters throughout the first season. Not only does Sean lose his sense of taste and touch, but watching him remove these splinters from all sorts of unfortunate areas is truly horrifying, all while leaving viewers wondering how this mysterious affliction is if at all, connected to Leanne. Several scenes like these focus more on the creepy and atmospheric style of horror, mostly inducing disgust and confusion, prompting you to keep watching while bracing yourself all the while.
Aside from both the psychological and creepy elements of horror, Servant seems to be the first of Shyamalan’s works that really incorporates the director’s dark sense of humor. Throughout the series, we see unsettling moments that tie in fantastically with the characters’ dry wit to the most bizarre situations. Indeed, the cast plays a huge role in the success of this approach. Lauren Ambrose, as Dorothy, has such an expressive face, reflecting terror and shock that makes any scene all the more unsettling. Added to that, Rupert Grint really seems to come into his own, a long way from his days in the Harry Potter franchise as a funny sidekick, to this role of Dorothy’s upper-class and sarcastic, but caring brother, Julian. Any time you see Julian on screen you know that you are in for some laughs, which Grint carries out with just the right subtlety and satirical quality needed for such a role.
Added to all of this, there is imagery of both food and religion underlying the entire series, only amplifying the psychological aspects of the storyline and the beauty of the scenes. Sean is a stay-at-home experimental consulting chef, who we often see cooking up the strangest cuisines, from crickets injected with sugar to lobster flavored ice cream. Some foodie scenes are definitely grotesque, leaving even Leanne fainting in the kitchen after watching some strange butchery take place, while others are just mesmerizing to watch unfold on screen. In fact, Kebbell is showing off some of his genuinely-learnt cooking skills in a few scenes, for that extra bit of added authenticity.
What is interesting to note is that often, the foods that Sean is experimenting with seem to reflect or foreshadow the ending of any particular episode, from crickets that tie in with an eerie quote from Leanne, “My aunt used to say that if a cricket comes into your home, something bad is going to happen,” to the comedically detailed preparation of an eel, reflecting the anger in Sean’s character at that time as he is seen mercilessly flaying the eel against a chopping board.
In terms of religious imagery, we often see this in connection with Leanne as she struggles to leave behind her past, where she was evidently affiliated with some sort of scarily authoritarian religious cult. For instance, with the previously mentioned storyline about Sean’s splinters, we see indications of how these could have been caused by Leanne due to their similarity with her spooky-looking handmade cross hung over Jericho’s crib. Later, we see some scenes of Leanne lashing herself with a whip while reciting a prayer, certainly some of the most harrowing moments in the series, where it is clear that Leanne’s whole identity has been tied up with guilt and rituals due to the cult that raised her.
Uncle George brings a lot of dark religious undertones to the story, dressed in tattered church suits and often reciting quotes from the Bible aloud in an erratic fashion. The religious imagery definitely comes to a head at the end of Season 2, though, where we see more explanations about the cult that raised Leanne through a strange home video. Standing out with the absurdity it brings to the show, the video explains the bizarre but deadly religious rituals that the cult take part in, effectively capturing elements of both horror and surreal dark comedy in a unique way – you truly won’t know whether to laugh or look away.
If you take a step back and consider the whole premise of the series, i.e. the apparent resurrection of baby Jericho, there is clearly a dark religious undercurrent right from the get-go. However you choose to interpret Servant, it is certainly one of the weirdest, most gripping, horror TV series around right now. Calling all die-hard fans of Shyamalan out there – you may have been right about him all along!
New episodes of Servant premiere Fridays on Apple TV.
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